Furrow guided automatic steering attachment for tractors



June 15, 1948. F, COURT 2,443,302

FURROW GUIDED AUTOMATIC STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR TRATJTORS Filed Feb. 5, 1945 FIG. 2

IN V EN TOR.

V WNW/\ A /W/W/V Y/ Patented June 15, 1948 FURROW GUIDED AUTOMATIC STEERING ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Frank '1. Court, Moline, Ill., assignor to Deere & Company, Moline, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application February 5, 1945, Serial No. 576,282

3 Claims. (Cl. 97-49) The present invention relates generally to agricultural machines and more particularly to automatic steering devices for steering a tractor along a furrow without any attention on the part of the operator.

The object and general nature of the present invention is the provision of a tractor steering device which effectively holds the tractor wheel as well as the guide wheel of thesteering device up against a furrow wall so as to accurately guide the outfit from the furrow wall irrespective of irregularities. A further feature of this invention is the provision of snubbing means effective to prevent unnecessary oscillations or vibrations so as to provide a steady running outfit more or less independent of irregularities in the ground surface or the furrow wall, yet one in which effective and accurate guiding from the furrow wall is provided. Another feature of the present invention is the provision of atractor guiding outfit in which means is incorporated for automatically shutting down the tractor motor in the event the outfit, for any reason, gets out of the furrow. More specifically, it is a feature of this invention to provide means biasing the steering apparatus for movement over towards the furrow wall and means associated therewith and operative by the further movement of the steering apparatus in that-direction, which occurs in the event the guide wheel gets out of the furrow, for stopping the tractor motor.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description of a preferred construction, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

.Figure l is a side view of a tractor equipped with my tractor guide.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top view.

Figure 3 is an enlarged view taken generally along the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawings, a tractor guide constructed according to the principles of the present invention has been shown as mounted on a tractor I which comprises suitable frame means 2 supported on a pair of rear traction wheels (not shown) and a pair of front wheels 3 and 4. The front wheels are mounted on' a front axle yoke 5, which is generally of U- or V-shaped configuration having a pair of front spindle bearing members 1 and 8 fixed thereto in generally downwardly extending relation. Each front wheel 4 is mounted on a spindle I I having a downwardly and outwardly extending wheel-receiving section I2 of more or less conventional construction. The tractor I includes a motor I5 having a carburetor l6 which is provided with a choke valve I1. I

The tractor guide in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated com prises a generally longitudinally extending bar 2| having a U-shaped yoke 22 fixed as by welding.

spindle II but is restrained by the hinge connection just described against lateral movement relative to the spindle. The front end of the bar 2|,

which preferably is in the form of a tubularpart as best shown in Figure 3, is welded to a bearing sleeve member 3| in which a vertically extending guide wheel spindle 32 is disposed. The lower end 33 of the guide wheel spindle 32 extends downwardly and generally laterally outwardly, as best shown in Figure 2, and receives a guide wheel 35. An arm 36 is fixed to the upper end of the spindle 32 and extends laterally and also forwardly, as best shown in Figure 2, and is apertured to receive the front end of a link 38, the rear end of which receives a. tension spring 39. The rear end of the spring 39 is connected to a clip 4| fixed as by welding to the bar 2|. A plate 43 is fixed to the upper end of the sleeve member 3| and is bifu r cated so as to present'two side sections 44 and 45 (Figure 2) on opposite sides of the guide wheel spindle. The sides 44 and 45 have upturned ends 46 and 41 to form stops against which a pair ofv generally V-shaped snubbing arms 48 and 49 are adapted to bear. Each of these arms includes an end 50 that extends downwardly into or through an opening formed in the plate 43 and the other end, as indicated at 53, of each snubbing arm is turned upwardly and disposed normally against opposite edges of the arm 36. A spring 54 is disposed between the two snubbing arms 49 and is connected at its ends to the upturned portions 53, as best shown in Figure 3. When the parts are in their normal position (Figure 2) and both snubbing arms are against the associated stops 46 and 41, the arm-engaging ends 53 are disposed against opposite edges of the arm 36. Rocking movement in either direction from the position shown in Figure 2 results in lengthening the spring 54 and is therefore restrained or resisted by the latter. An arm 6| is fixed to the upper end of the right hand spindle II and extends generally laterally a 3 and outwardly therefrom. A link 62 is connected at its forward end to the outer end of the arm GI, and at its rear end the link 62 is connected through a tension spring 63 with the carbureter choke thereof IT.

The operation of my tractor guide is substantially as follows:

The tension inthe spring 3%].v acts to hold the guide wheel 35 in about the position'shown inFigure 2, in which the two snu-hher arms 39, connected by the spring 54, bear against the arm 36-. The spring 39 acts withsuilicient force to hold the guide wheel 35 up against the furrow wall F, but irregularities in the furrow bottom do not cause excessive oscillation/of the wheel 35 due to the snubbing action of -thespringbiased arms 49. In the event that. thevwheel 35runs entirely out of the furrow, the spring 39 exerts a sufficient forceto swing the wheel 35 sharply around in a landward directiomwhich, in turn, causes the arm 2i to. he-swungin the .same;direc..-

tion-. This turns the wheel-tin that. directionQandz exerts a forward'pull throughv the link 62: and spring 63. lhis'closes the chokev valve and-chokes the motor :sothat it stops. When; traversing short broken spacesin the fnrrowiawallF, the wheel 35 is caused topass over these spaces due to the snubbing action of the armsfis which prevents the strongenspring 39: from immediately swinging the wheel 35 around landwardly, yet if the wheel 3% run entirely out of the furrow the steering arm 2i is eventually swung around landward-ly soast-o ste zl'- the motor. The-relatively small amount (if oscillation which an irregular ground surface might impart to the wheel 35' does not cause. any

appreciable oscillation er-vihration of theasso ciated tractorwheels 4;

While it have shown and described above the preferred structure in which the principles of the present invention have been incorporated, it is to be'understood that my invention is not to be limited' to the, particular details shown and described above, but that, in fact, widely different means maybe employed in the practice of the broader aspects of'my invention,

'What I. claim, by Letters Patentis:

1. A steering device for tractors having dirigible wheel means. comprising a forwardly extending bar, means connecting the rear end otsaid-bar with said dirigi-blewheel meanslto steer said dirigible Wheel means a guide. wheel including an arm,sai-d.'wheel being. swingably connected with 'theforward end or said bar and movable relative to the, latter about a generallyvertical; axis, spring means of said bar and said wheel means for yielding op posing movement of the latter in eithe'r 'direc tion from a given position so as to dampen. s cil'lation of the wheelmeans as when passing over-uneven ground and the like, biasing, means'f separate from said spring means, andmean conneeting said separate biasing; means to said bar and to saidguide wheel arm so as to. swing said guidewheel relative tosaid bar in one direction,

as up against a furrow wall,-whereby swinging:

the guide wheel at the forward end of said bar serves to cause: the forward 'movement' of the therefore, and desire tosecure acting between the front. end.

tractor to cause said bar to swing in the direc= tion the guide wheel is swung relative to said bar. 2; A steering mechanism for a tractor having a front wheel spindle, comprising a forwardly extending bar hinged at its rear end to said spindle for vertical swinging movement, a guide wheel having a generally vertical spindle, generally verticalshearing means,,mea=ns connecting; the lat= ter to thefrontend ofzsteerih'gi bar for receiving the guide wheel spindle, and biasing means connected to said bar and said guide wheel spindle tendingv to turn said guide wheel in one direction, said biasing means including a part fixed to said wheel spindle and extending out wardly therefrom, apair of arms bearing at their outer ends againstqsaid part, means pivoting the inner ends of said arms to said bar adjacent said vertical bearing meansand a, spring connecting the ends of said arms.

3. A steering device tor a tractor plow combination, in which the tractor is of thefour wheel type and is normally operated with one'jfront wheel in a previously formed ,furrQMsaidfsJJeer-T ing device comprising a. forwardl extending arm, means connecting the rear end of saidhar with, said front wheel. of, the tractor so. asjtds'teenthe' same, a guide wheel at-the front. 'end' oii'sa'id forwardly extending arm, a. spindle sleeve. ri'ed by the front endioj the lajtter, a'jstee g spindle for saidguilgle. wheel'n ounted for movement in saidispihdle sleeve, adarrziffi'zreditdl the upper end ofsaidguide wheel spindlaapaiif of'pivoteti'. snubber .armspivotedto the upper of. said sl'eevejandf-acting, .at theirlouterendsg against, OppQsitesides of .saidfguide wheel spindle arms for restraining the latter andjsaidgm wheel against oscillation, .saidgguidg. wheel spin}, dlie arm being normallyidisposedi so. as; to/hold saidfguide wheel, in a. position leading toward, thef-urrow wallandsaidiforwardlyextending J n; being, connected with said tra'ctor'wheel so "as to, lead the, tractor wheel toward the furrow wall, andasprin'g connectingsaid forwardly extending arm andsaid guide whee-I spindle arm,',said p ing whereby said spring serves. to wi g. said wheel over into a, position to causethe tractor; to steer relatively; sharply .in a; landward dingotion, a membermovahle-o with said guide wheel, when the latter is swung into said po sition,

means operativehy movement ofsaid member-tor file of this patent:

IUNI/IED swarms PATEN S;

Number I Ngnnev lQatej o 1,117,263 Shi te M Nov. 22,v 719194 1,200,105 Heylman Oct, 3, 1,310,664, Kl'a'ssen a July 22,. l9 1,540,634 Kirchhoff June 211192 5 15883197 Ri'etzk'e ,Ju eifil, 1926, 1,659,234 Boda 619414, 192s" i1,3, 8 

